Baptism is the spiritual birth of a person, his joining the Christian faith and cleansing from sins. In recent years, more and more parents have sought to baptize their children in childhood, in order to educate them in Orthodox traditions from an early age. To determine the most suitable date for the baby's baptism, you need to take into account several points.
Instructions
Step 1
According to church canons, it is customary to perform the Sacrament of Baptism on the 40th day of a child's life, but there is no strict establishment on this score. To a greater extent, this is due to the postpartum state and the recovery of the mother's body. To enter the temple, she must receive the blessing of the priest after reading a special prayer. If the baby is sick, the priest can be invited home or to the hospital ahead of time.
Step 2
In general, the church allows a child to be baptized on any day at the request of the parents, the main thing is that their intention to raise a child in the Christian faith is firm. There are no bans and restrictions on any days for the Sacrament of Baptism, but a particular church may have its own rules, therefore, when choosing a date, check with the ministers.
Step 3
Very often, the ceremony is held for several baptized people at the same time, but if you want it to be performed only by your child, agree with the priest for the day when there are no others.
Step 4
Many mothers and grandmothers are afraid to baptize babies in the cold season, because they are immersed in water, and when wet, they can catch a cold. If you are one of these parents, it is better to wait until warm weather sets in.
Step 5
In former times, babies were named after the saints whose memory fell on the day of baptism. Now you can act from the opposite: find in the church calendar the dates on which the memory of the saints is celebrated, select the one that follows the birthday of your child, and baptize the baby.
Step 6
You can time baptism to church holidays: Easter, Trinity, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, etc. But keep in mind that at this time in the temple there is a large crowd of people, and the baby may be frightened.
Step 7
Take into account the individual characteristics of the child: his age, relationships with others, how he will behave in the arms of godparents, etc. A six-month-old baby can take the ceremony calmly, and after 2-3 months - spin and cry.
Step 8
In addition, church traditions prohibit women from attending the temple during menstruation, so it is important that the day of baptism does not fall for the godmother during this period.
